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The Food and Drug Administration, already under fire for its response to superbug outbreaks at U.S. hospitals, has tried and failed twice to get medical scope manufacturers to prove their controversial devices can be cleaned of deadly bacteria. The embattled agency said Monday that it didn't request the information until spring 2014 — despite earlier warnings about tainted scopes — and that it has given device makers three chances to validate their cleaning protocols. Those new disclosures drew immediate criticism from a federal lawmaker and some consumer advocates. All this comes after two patients died at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center from contaminated...

Related "UCLA Medical System" Articles

The Food and Drug Administration, already under fire for its response to superbug outbreaks at U.S. hospitals, has tried and failed twice to get medical scope manufacturers to prove their controversial devices can be cleaned of deadly bacteria.
The...

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center said it's investigating whether patients with superbug infections are linked to contaminated medical scopes, similar to a recent outbreak at UCLA.
The well-known Los Angeles hospital said it hasn't determined whether the CRE...

Following a superbug outbreak at UCLA, the family of a 48-year-old patient who died there has sued a medical device maker for wrongful death.
The family of Antonia Torres Cerda sued Olympus Corp. of the Americas on Wednesday in Los Angeles County...

In the first lawsuit stemming from the superbug outbreak at UCLA, an 18-year-old patient accused a major healthcare device maker of negligence for selling a medical scope prone to spreading deadly bacteria.
Aaron Young, a high-school student still...

The head of the UCLA Health System, who has been confronting public concerns related to a bacterial outbreak at one of its hospitals, is leaving for a high-profile job in Pennsylvania.
Dr. David Feinberg will become chief executive of the Geisinger...

A senior Food and Drug Administration official voiced reservations about the new method UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center is using to clean medical scopes linked to an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The official also said Monday that the...

One of the two patients who died in connection with a superbug outbreak at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center was a 48-year-old liver transplant patient from the Central Valley, according to the family's attorney.
In addition to the two deaths, five...

The medical device implicated in the superbug outbreak at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center has a reputation for being tough to disinfect, largely due to its unique design, doctors say.
The device in question -- a duodenoscope -- is used to diagnose...

The manufacturer of the medical scopes at the center of a deadly bacterial outbreak at UCLA Medical Center is under investigation by federal officials for possible violations of laws that ban improper payments to doctors and other customers.
Olympus...

Nearly 180 patients at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to potentially deadly bacteria from contaminated medical scopes, and two deaths have already been linked to the outbreak.
Update: FDA issues warning on contaminated...

Los Angeles County health officials are attempting to assuage the public’s fears surrounding a deadly outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, saying the episode is “not a threat to public health.”
The hospital...

Four California hospitals have been included on a federal government list of 35 facilities "designated as Ebola treatment centers."
Two -- UC Davis Medical Center and Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center -- are in the Sacramento region. Two...

Federal officials fined UCLA Health System $470,000 for allowing an anesthesiologist who was banned from Medicare and other federal programs to treat patients and bill the government for their care.
Dr. John Edward Miller, an anesthesiologist at Ronald...

A man riding a Metro bus in Beverly Hills on Wednesday was slashed on the side of his face by another passenger with a knife, authorities said.
Lorenzo Medesto, 44, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack, said Lt. Lester Trull, a...

A second Ebola case in Texas — identified Sunday as a hospital worker who cared for the Liberian man who died last week from the disease — is raising fresh doubts about the preparedness of the U.S. health system to handle the deadly outbreak.
It is...

An SUV driven by a fatigued motorist crashed into a minivan on the Grapevine section of the 5 Freeway near Gorman on Sunday evening, critically injuring two children and four adults, the California Highway Patrol said.
All six suffered major injuries and...

Visitors and patients at UCLA hospitals probably won’t notice what’s gone missing from the chili, hamburgers and chicken dishes they order for lunch.
But by putting antibiotic-free ground beef, ground beef patties and chicken breasts on the menus at...

It's almost summer. More skin will be visible, on and off the beach. And more tattoos. Will they be an inspiration? Or a warning?
Stuart Yellen wanted to be rid of his tattoo almost as soon as he got it, and a week later the ink began to drip down his...

Capt. Jeff Swingle sat alone in a workshop in his garage, his mind wandering in circles.
His day job was fighting brush fires and leading emergency response teams. He had grown accustomed to tragedy, to packing up his emotions in preparation for the next...